Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-10-15

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

In some countries owning a home rather than renting one is very important for people. Why might this be the case? Do you think this is a positive or negative situation?

Student answer (Band 5.5)

In some nation peoples prefer to buy their own houses instead of living in rented houses. This essay will discuss a positive or negative situation. People prefer buying their own houses, I think this is a positive development.

This situation has both positive and negative sides depending on the economy. In many countries, buying a house is seen as a major goal in life that is much better than renting. Furthermore, peoples also buying their own houses because of their own security, and it also provides financial stability. peoples are buying own houses because they want to live a peacefully life with their families without worrying about paying rent in every month. In future, a house is a good investment because its value may increase. Moreover, peoples can decorate their homes according to their own choice. Another thing, having a home gives people a feeling of safety and happiness. For example, parents can provide a stable environment for their children in their own house.

On the other hand, owning a house also some disadvantages. Firstly, buying a house is very expensive, and many peoples take a loan from banks. Secondly homeowners have to spend money on repairs and maintenance. Moreover, it can be difficult for them to move another city for a better job. Owning a house can sometimes create financial problems and stress.

In conclusion, owning a house provides security and stability, it also has some disadvantages such as high cots, banks loans and maintenance expenses. According to my opinion, people should carefully consider their financial situation before buying a house.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response6.0
Coherence and Cohesion5.5
Lexical Resource5.5
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.5
Overall5.5

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address both questions: you explain why home ownership matters, citing security, financial stability, investment, and the ability to create a stable environment for children, and you state that you see it as positive. The counterpoint about cost, maintenance, and reduced mobility also makes the discussion relevant and balanced. However, the reasons are mostly listed rather than fully explained. For example, the claim that a home is a good investment would be stronger if you explained how this benefits owners over time, and the opening says the situation depends on the economy without developing that qualification. Your conclusion also shifts towards advising people to assess their finances rather than clearly reaffirming why the overall situation is positive. Develop fewer points with clearer explanation and examples.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, a paragraph presenting benefits, a paragraph on disadvantages, and a conclusion. This gives the reader a clear overall route through the discussion. You also use signposts such as “Furthermore,” “On the other hand,” and “In conclusion.” However, several transitions feel mechanical, and the benefits paragraph moves quickly from security to investment, decoration, and happiness without showing how these points connect. “Another thing” is informal and does little to clarify the relationship between ideas. The opening also announces that the essay will discuss positive or negative aspects, then repeats your position. Group related reasons and use clearer links between claims and examples; this would make progression smoother and reduce the list-like effect.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate the main ideas, including “financial stability,” “investment,” “repairs and maintenance,” and “stable environment.” These phrases suit the subject and help distinguish the benefits from the drawbacks. However, the range is limited by repeated use of “people,” “house,” and “own,” and some word choices or collocations are inaccurate, such as “a peacefully life,” “high cots,” and “banks loans.” “Living in rented houses” is also less natural than a more concise expression such as “renting.” These errors do not prevent understanding, but they make the writing less precise and fluent. Build a wider set of natural housing and finance collocations, and check spelling and word forms when editing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more developed sentence forms, including a reason clause in “because they want to live…” and a conditional example beginning “For example, parents can provide…”. Most ideas remain understandable, but some grammatical errors recur. For instance, “peoples also buying” is missing an auxiliary verb, “owning a house also some disadvantages” lacks a main verb, and “move another city” is missing a preposition. There are also problems with articles and number agreement, as in “a peacefully life” and repeated use of “peoples” where “people” is required. Sentence boundaries need attention in the conclusion, where two independent clauses are joined by a comma. Practise accurate verb patterns and review each sentence for a complete subject and verb.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.